Data storage facilities face challenges when storing large data objects in a secured format. The facility will typically use an encryption technique to secure the data object. Encryption is the process of converting data from an unencrypted format to an encrypted format. The unencrypted format is readable and unsecured. The encrypted format, sometimes called ciphertext, is unreadable except to those who can decrypt the data using an encryption key.
When multiple large objects are stored, duplication of those large objects can require significant amounts of storage memory. Thus, a facility may desire to avoid duplicating large objects in storage. However, de-duplication (i.e., the avoidance of duplication) can be difficult, especially when the original object is encrypted.
This document describes methods and systems that are directed to addressing some of the problems described above, and/or other problems.